Hi Gardeners September 26, 2005



Crazy weather this year, storms and some more storms or you may live where it is bone dry. Atlanta area was very wet this spring and early summer, but very dry the last 5 weeks. Plants in this area are really suffering and dropping leaves like crazy. It is Mother's nature way of trying to keep the plants from dieing.

Fall Seeding

From Sept. 15 until Oct. 15 is an excellent time to aerate and over seed on lawns with Bluegrass or Fescue. It is a good time to check your soil's PH. If you live where large oak trees and pine trees are common, your soil is probably very acid. LIME MAY BE NEEDED FOR GOOD GROWTH. Having the correct ph is important for proper nutrient uptake. Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. Get a Landscape Plan at http://web-landscape-design-ideas.com before you waste your money buying the wrong plants.

Master gardener's Program

I have a cousin that lives in Missouri. He signed up and took the Landscaping and Gardening 10 week course which is available through most Cooperative Extension Service Offices. If you are really interested in gardening, It might be for you. The Cooperative Extension is part of your State's Land Grant College System. My cousin highly recommends the program. Check it out!


Green Roof

I am going to Chicago this week and I plan on visiting a great new downtown feature.The new Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. It is a 24 acre park "Green Roof" over a huge parking garage and commuter train termial. Chicago has 120 living roofs built or planned, including city hall. Europe has been building them for over 30 years and they have become a commonplace. Green Roofs are a great way to help offset the " Urban Heat Islands" in the downtown area of our major cities. They also help to reduce flooding and sewer overflow by absorbing the rain. The plants take Carbon Dioxide from the air and release oxygen which is great for humans and other animals. GREEN ROOFS help to cool buildings during the summer and cut electric costs.. Chicago is requiring green roofs and other green ideas for certain building projects built with public money in the city. The Gap Corporation has a 1.5 acre garden roof on their California Corporate Office building. The conference center for the Salt Lake Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a roof planted with 300 types of wildflowers. It is a mountain meadow.
In Atlanta, we have been blessed with lots and lots of trees. As our city continues to grow, developers are removing 50 acres of trees everyday. They are definely creating heat islands all over this area. Trees and green roofs help to cool the air and reduce air pollution. PLANT AND SAVE TREES IN YOUR COMMUNITY!

Mums are a great plant for fall color. They do best with cool temperatures. The local garden centers have been selling mums for the past several weeks. Our temperatures are still in the high 80's and it is almost October. WOW! Mums will not last very long under these conditions.
Annual dianthus and pansies are great for winter color in the landscape. They are both available in the southern states. They can be used in flower areas and containers. Plant some and enjoy. Note: They both like cool temperatures, so don't plant them too early. If they are planted too early, they grow too tall and fall over.

Palm Trees

If you live in zones 8 - 11 and have a Medirerrean-style architecture home, you might consider a Mediterrean Palm tree i your landscape. It may reach 10 feet or more in height. It usually grows as a multi-trunk specimen. It prefers full sun, but tolerates light shade. It has high drought tolerance after it is established
Maple Trees
They are one of my favor trees and I use them on landscape plans, but they have a shadow root system. After a few years, they may be growing on top of the ground. This problem is more present in heavy clay soils.

Happy Gardening!

Lawrence L. Hoyle
http://web-landscape-design-ideas.com